Since 6 AM, Colorado State Troopers have been assisting in a large-scale sweep of a tent encampment

[soothsayer]

Link to tweet

?s=21

As potentially millions of Americans face eviction proceedings in August, local governments are intensifying 'sweeps'.
We caught a no-notice sweep of an encampment of 200 people in Denver early this Wednesday (thread)

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. SMFH

[Johnny2X2X]

2. Inhumane

Just disgusting and it's getting worse. People are going to be homeless by the millions more coming up, it is not OK to do this.

These homeless encampments are the homes the downtrodden have made for themselves, they care about their homes as much as anyone else does. It's not OK to do this, and many many more people will be joining them in the coming months and years.

Show compassion.

[raging moderate]

3. Okay, let's get these Voters into Voting Addresses!

Please, somebody with lots of money, can we quickly get these poor people, just swept out of their tents, into apartments or something, with voting addresses, and help them get registered to vote, so they can exercise their constitutional right to object to what has been done to them? Isn't it true that we have to do this NOW, so they will be able to add their voices to this election?

[Chainfire]

4. For goodness sakes

can't they just die already? Talk about beating someone when they are down. Perhaps we can build labor camps to house these people where work can set them free.

[Wawannabe]

7. My EX boyfriend actually said this!

Two days later I moved out. Fastest I could find a place. I may be homeless soon - rent is hard to come by. Shit!
What a bunch of fucking ASSHOLES these white supremacists are. And they hate homelessness too.

[Chainfire]

25. In a world with finite resources

In order to have billionaires, you must have the homeless. So what is the real social problem, the billionaires or the homeless?

[33taw]

5. I don't know why the state or county doesn't buy every vacated big box store and convert them

to homeless shelters. Of course, all of Denver’s building are or were filled.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

6. Punishing the homeless

For existing. Fuck the assholes that sweep away homeless encampments rather than give them housing.

I dispise capitalism and the violent classism it creates.

The greedy create the needy. And fuck the rich we can't afford those assholes and their toxic beliefs and "free"market bullshit.

[2naSalit]

10. +++++++++++++++!!!

[maxsolomon]

15. There isn't housing to give them.

Despite the infamous Utah program to house the chronically homeless (which made it seem like just a matter of will), there is a massive lack of affordable units in this nation, and the funding for building and maintaining new buildings is severely limited.

Because we'd rather spend half the Discretionary Budget on the Department of Defense.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

20. Cap

The rents,cap the costs.

Then the greed to charge ever higher rents dissapears,and people get housed. Increase the budget to support the homeless.

The will is the problem along with greed.

[maxsolomon]

21. It isn't simply will: it is Politics.

For subsidized housing, rents are already capped. 30/60/90% of AMI is the typical standard, and the gap between a person's income and that number is what get subsidized by HUD. often it is 100% subsidized.

Cap the costs? You mean construction costs? Development costs? How do you see that working?

[I_UndergroundPanther]

23. My rent is not 100% subsidized.

HUD always charges rent no matter how poor you are.

More HUD housing must be made,period. And the rich,and republicans must pay taxes ,or lose everything,than they'll pay if they risk losing everything.

Those loopholes must be closed.

[maxsolomon]

24. We agree, more affordable housing must be built.

I do not agree that the rich risk "losing everything". Repression of the poor in America has been a very successful long-term project, there is little risk of a revolution overturning the order of things.

You might want to read about the way Vienna creates Social Housing; I find it the most likely model to find success in the fucked-up USA: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdredge/pdr_edge_featd_article_011314.html

[Greybnk48]

8. Where are these people supposed to go?

What is the plan behind this raid? WTF!

[Hortensis]

12. Where they always go. Somewhere else. This is hardly new.

Around 1978 is when the minority of Americans who resented paying taxes to be socially responsible and never seeing the end of it became a majority. Don't know how old you are, but likely all or almost all of your voting life has taken place in the following era of conservative domination.

Rationale for abandonment of care and activation of persecution: most homeless people could have taken care of themselves but didn't and won't, and helping people is bad for society because it encourages people not to take care of themselves. The homeless pee and poop on sidewalks, lower desirability of neighborhoods, and just the unpleasant sight of them is an unreasonable burden on hardworking people who don't deserve it.

Virtually every election for 40 years has been a referendum on our responsibility, or as you put it, "Where are these people supposed to go?"

[greenjar_01]

9. 106 years after Ludlow

Same shit, different century.

[maxsolomon]

14. Yes, anyone could let someone camp in their yard and use their facilties.

This is the suggestion that anti-homeless commenters often throw at people opposed to camp sweeps on an alt-weekly board I frequent: "why don't you invite them to move in with you?"

[MichMan]

16. I have never been to Colorado before

Wasn't sure if they had any local ordinances about doing that or not. I live in a rural area myself, so there are no homeless tent cities around here like I see in more densely populated areas.

While like everywhere, we certainly have homeless, they are not concentrated together as to stand out.

I don't frequent any alt-weekly places, so couldn't comment on what they say

[maxsolomon]

18. RW Trolls are RW Trolls on every discussion board.

they say whatever they think will get your goat.

[maxsolomon]

13. Some sweeps are inevitable - these camps are not set up for dense, long term habitation.

3 issues: urine, feces, and rotting trash. All COULD be dealt with, yes, but if they have not been provided for the camps in the 1st place, it may not be practical. The public health issues could be too far gone.

Another issue: many camps are in unsafe locations. In Seattle, we had a camper run over by a car in his off-ramp tent.

This is why you see Churches providing camp space in their parking lots - they have facilities to enable long-term camping. Namely, restrooms.

You can have empathy for the homeless and see camp sweeps as sad but inevitable.

[Amishman]

17. It's a city park and it says the State Police as 'assisting'. Can we assume the city requested them?

If the city did request them, sounds like our party leadership should be asking some pointed questions of the Denver city council (which our party controls).

[Victor_c3]

19. I just spent 30 minutes looking at various orgs that help homeless in my area

I have the means and time that I could really give a lot of labor to help people battling homelessness, but the pandemic is really keeping me from stepping into the fray. It’s unfortunate because of the pandemic going on, the homeless are even more vulnerable.

I’m going to have to sit on this and see what I can do. Even if all I can do is give money, that’s gotta be better than nothing.

I’ve never had to deal with homelessness, but I’ve dealt with hopelessness, substance abuse, and suicide. I can relate in a lot of ways with people who feel they have no hope.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

22. I lived in a hotel when I lost my home

It was terrifying as this motel was cheap and the location was crazy. And the people staying there
Would break furniture abuse each other,have parties,blast music at 3 am...drunks,addicts,assholes abounded.

But at least I was not forced into living in a tent.

But I could be living in a tent if trump is in office again or he thinks he could drown HUD in a bathtub,and nobody stops him.
And I would have another breakdown and go psychotic from the stress and my PTSD and other disorders get made worse. I would be suicidal.

I feel insecure in my housing when we have criminal republicans who hate the disabled workers and poor, destroying everything that helps us and nobody stops them.

I feel anxiety over this issue all the time since trump began squatting in the Whitehouse. Since the tyranny of the minority..

I am one of the lucky ones.

However how the homeless are treated says volumes about how sickeningly narcissistic ,overworked,selfish,non empathetic this country has become.

[Victor_c3]

26. I hope you're able to make it through this period alright

I deal with severe PTSD, but in a lot of ways I got off easy - my PTSD was the result of my military service and people put me on pedestal and call me a hero
🙄

I’ve been in and out of psychiatric hospitals countless times over the last few years and I rub elbows with a lot of people who suffer from a host of issues. Trauma is trauma is trauma. It doesn’t matter where it comes from, it’s impact is insidious. Many veterans only have a single or a few traumas while people who’ve been abused, often have dealt with traumatic events over and over again.

My experiences with those who’ve dealt with homelessness, substance abuse, and other hardships has taught me that everyone has value. In many ways I’m broken, but I still have a lot to give. I know we’re in a deep hole right now, but I’m hopeful and optimistic about the future.

You’re are so right when you say “how the homeless are treated says volumes about how sickeningly narcissistic , overworked, selfish, non empathetic this country has become.” We need to become a nation of decent people again.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

27. Victorc3